Non che il giradischi non funzioni, ma è traballante.

They do different jobs.

• The first non is part of the expression Non che... ma..., which means something like:

  • It’s not that... but...
  • Not that..., but...

• The second non directly negates the verb funzioni, so it means doesn’t work.

So the structure is:

• Non che il giradischi non funzioni = It’s not that the record player doesn’t work

Then:

• ma è traballante = but it’s wobbly / unstable

So this sentence is saying: the problem is not that it fails to work; the problem is that it is unstable.

Because after Non che... Italian normally uses the subjunctive.

Here, funzioni is the present subjunctive of funzionare.

This happens because Non che... introduces something that is being presented as a dismissed explanation, a nuanced point, or something not being asserted in a straightforward factual way.

Compare:

• Il giradischi non funziona.
  The record player doesn’t work.
  → regular statement, so indicative

• Non che il giradischi non funzioni...
  It’s not that the record player doesn’t work...
  → after non che, so subjunctive

This is a very common pattern in Italian.

It is a fixed pattern used to correct or soften what someone might assume.

It often means:

• It’s not that... but...
• Not that..., but...
• It isn’t that..., rather...

In this sentence:

• Non che il giradischi non funzioni, ma è traballante.

the speaker is saying:

• I’m not saying the record player doesn’t work; the real issue is that it’s wobbly.

It is often used when the speaker wants to make a distinction between a more serious problem and the actual one.

Yes, very often you will hear or read Non è che... in similar situations.

For example:

• Non è che il giradischi non funzioni, ma è traballante.

This is very natural and common in spoken Italian.

A rough difference is:

• Non che... can feel a bit more compact or stylistically neat
• Non è che... is often more conversational and explicit

Both introduce the idea It’s not that...

As a learner, it is good to recognize both patterns.

Literally, giradischi is made from:

• gira = turns / spins
• dischi = records / discs

So it is literally something like record-spinner, which is why it means record player or turntable, depending on context.

A useful point: giradischi is usually treated as masculine singular:

• il giradischi
• un giradischi

Its form does not change in the plural in many uses:

• i giradischi

Traballante means wobbly, shaky, unsteady, or unstable.

In this sentence, it describes the record player as physically not steady.

So the idea is probably:

• it works,
• but it is not solid,
• maybe it rocks, shakes, or stands unevenly.

You can also use traballante more broadly for things like:

• a traballante table = a wobbly table
• an argument or plan that is traballante = shaky / weak

So it can be both physical and sometimes figurative.

Because Italian often omits the subject pronoun or noun when it is already clear from context.

Here:

• il giradischi has already been mentioned
• so è traballante naturally means it is wobbly

Italian does this all the time:

• Il libro è interessante, ma è lungo.
• La macchina funziona, ma è vecchia.

You could repeat the noun for emphasis:

• ...ma il giradischi è traballante.

But usually that would be less natural unless you wanted contrast or extra emphasis.

Yes. Ma is the ordinary conjunction meaning but.

It introduces the real point after rejecting another possible explanation:

• Not that it doesn’t work, but it’s wobbly.

So the contrast is:

• not problem A
• but problem B

This is a very typical use of ma.

Sometimes yes, but ma is the most straightforward choice here.

For example:

• Non che il giradischi non funzioni, però è traballante.

This can work in speech, but it may sound slightly different in rhythm or emphasis.

Very roughly:

• ma = plain but
• però = however / though / but with a bit more emphasis

In this sentence, ma fits the structure very neatly, so it is probably the most natural option.

Because Italian generally uses the definite article more often than English does.

English often says:

• the record player
• or sometimes just record player in certain contexts

Italian normally wants:

• il giradischi

especially when referring to a specific object already known in the conversation.

Using the article here is completely normal and expected.

It is basically neutral, though Non che... can sound a little more polished than the most basic everyday phrasing.

It is not especially formal, but it is also not slangy.

A more direct, simpler version might be:

• Il giradischi funziona, ma è traballante.

That just means:

• The record player works, but it’s wobbly.

The original sentence is more nuanced because it specifically rejects a possible misunderstanding:

• The issue isn’t that it doesn’t work; it’s that it’s unstable.

Yes. Even though funzioni is grammatically subjunctive, in English it will usually still be translated simply as works or doesn’t work, depending on the sentence.

So:

• non funzioni = doesn’t work

The important thing is that the mood is different in Italian, not necessarily the basic dictionary meaning.

English usually does not show this distinction clearly in translation, so the meaning may look simple even though the Italian grammar is more specific.